Olympian Deb Armstrong Has "Beef" With Wide Skis
A couple days ago, a video surfaced of a conversation between Deb Armstrong and ski director of Dalbello, Marker, Volkl, and Line, Tracy Gibbons, discussing skier's choices on the mountain and how that may be impacting their skiing experience.
Deb explains that while many influencers are skiing wider skis nowadays, she feels "the average American skier who doesn't know that much has been just a little bit led astray."
"It's the blind leading the blind. They're watching skiers on the hill that are using skis that are really, really wide and not appropriate for the terrain they're on. We all know that. And influencers know that."
But, Deb says, "I'm not hearing influencers talk about it."
She quickly affirms that she has nothing against wider skis, but they require certain conditions to be fun.
But her issue comes down to the conditions everyday skiers are really skiing, and if their equipment matches those conditions.
"I want the everyday skier to know how to pick a ski. If they're in the midwest skiing 400 vertical feet, if they're back east skiing ice, if they're in the west just skiing groomers... I want them to pick the right ski."
It's a good point. It's easy to get caught up in the "ideal" situations, especially when shopping. Marketing sells ideas, not products. Who wants to imagine themselves scraping down a thin base or cruising around on flat trails?
We want a ski that makes us look like Noah Gaffney or Tristan Brown. And we see them skiing the best conditions on the best terrain in the world. So for them, it makes sense to use a fatter, surfier ski a lot of the time.
I've definitely been guilty of dreaming while comparing skis. Coming from mostly skiing Sugarloaf, where I could comfortably rip Slalom skis just about every day (I still stand by them for tight glades and icy groomers!), I did a complete 180 and began looking at skis with a width of 116.
Every day is a powder day in Tahoe, right?
My dad quickly shut that down: "you want a ski you can ski in more conditions than just perfect powder." He was right. So far this season, I haven't wished I was on powder skis once!
Tracy Gibbons offers her recommendations. "For most women, we recommend between an 84 to 88 waisted ski. Most of our men get into the 88 to 98 range."
"88 is an awesome, overall width for people."
For context, race skis are usually between 60 and 70 underfoot, while full-on powder skis can be as wide as 120 for that really surfy, buttery feel.
But how many powder days are you really skiing per season? Does it make sense to own 120s as your daily driver?
Sadly, given this reality check, probably not.
But you'll have more fun if your expectations are realistic. Plus, learning how to stomp tricks on narrower skis (and then being able to carve into the sunset after) is a good skill to have.
Related: Former NCAA Alpine Racer Teaches You How To Carve Like Ted Ligety
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